Rooted in the field of laser processing and radiating such industrial fields as closely connected with intelligent laser processing, e.g., aviation, aerospace, shipbuilding, high-speed rail, nuclear power, etc., Shanghai Key Technology Research and Development Center of High-strength Intelligent Laser Processing Equipments has made fruitful contributions through various endeavors and won a wide recognition from the industry since it was established by our university one year ago. Last September, “Laser Center” was approved to be established by Shanghai Municipal Education Commission upon review of our university’s application. The Laser Center was founded on the basis of Shanghai High-strength Laser Processing Industry & Research Alliances and Application Demonstration Base, which was led by Academician Zhang Jie, President of Shanghai Jiaotong University. The Laser Center aims to strengthen the leading status of Shanghai in the laser processing & application field and promote the upgrading of the laser processing industry.
Under the guidance of the Council, our university staffs and the Professional Technical Commission have jointly drafted up knowledge service contents and technological innovation R & D direction, decided the major events regarding development of the Laser Center since the start of construction so as to set up a link between the Center and the industry. According to the Laser Center’s development plan, No. 3 Building of Training Center, a total area of more than 900 square meters will be used as the special venue of the Laser Center. The principal researcher studio, Laser Center AC room, laser processing labs, Laser Center students' creative studio and other departments will be set up in the campus venue. Based on the industry needs, the Laser Center has set six specialized databases, including: expert database, equipment database, patent database, materials & technology database, project database and student innovation database.
In line with the principle of “Opening and Alliance”, the Laser Center unites the advantageous units of Shanghai High-strength Laser Processing Industry & Research Alliances and Application Demonstration Base and some enterprises engaging in the industrial fields (such fields as are closely connected with intelligent laser processing), such as aviation, aerospace, shipbuilding, high-speed rail, nuclear power, etc.; according to the “taking demand as traction” requirements and the development plan adopted by the Council of the Laser Center upon wide research and discussion, the Laser Center will profoundly fuse with the enterprises engaging in the industrial fields of high-strength laser shock processing, smart surface modification, intelligent flexible welding and Intelligent three-dimensional cutting and initially seek out the key problems and breakthroughs of the profession and industry which are related to intelligent laser processing and need to be resolved urgently. In addition, the Laser Center has made several breakthroughs in and accumulated project and operation mechanism experiences in application of intelligent laser cutting in restructuring and development of high-end equipment manufacturing (proposed by some department of Shanghai Economic and Informatization Commission), the high value-added ships new military ships, lunar exploration, manned space flight, high-speed trains, nuclear power plants and other major national and municipal projects (proposed by the three-dimensional printing and related industries enterprises); due to high fitting with related industries, some technical achievements have been preliminarily utilized in intelligent processing and manufacturing of key components.
The Laser Center under the construction has undertaken a series of major research projects, including: Shanghai Automotive Industry Science and Technology Development Foundation Project - lightweight torque converter and its key technical realization project, it would be a new development direction for the automotive lightweight torque converter that the high-strength aluminum alloy is used instead of steel to obtain aluminum-aluminum and aluminum-steel welding technology for lightweight design of the torque converter; the national research project “Automatic Detection and Maintenance of Equipment and Technology R＆D Platform for Key Components of the Nuclear Island, which covers such contents as optimization of the fuel maintenance process test stand test, close cooperation between the Laser Center and the CNPRI, main methods of the underwater laser welding, main structural material - optimization of austenitic stainless steel weld repair process, metallurgical transformation principle and defect control methods, etc., and the aim of which is to develop the advanced laser welding technology that can improve the maintenance quality and repair quality of manufacturing and field maintenance. The Laser Center cooperates with China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corporation in conducting the assessment study on safety and reliability of high-speed aluminum train body welding, so that China-made high-strength aluminum alloy large hollow Complex cross extrusions are widely used to manufacture high-speed train sidewall.
Looking to the future, the Laser Center will, in light of the basic guidelines of “taking demand as traction, opening and alliance, initiative action and concentrated improvement”, take the initiatives in its R&D work closely surrounding the development goals, strategic planning and main task formulated by the Council; the Laser Center will also give a full play of its role in talents gathering, vitality stimulation and financial support etc.; it will try to make itself into an excellent R&D and service institution in the key technology areas of intelligent high-strength laser processing equipments that integrates technical services and technology transfer, scientific research, personnel training into a whole. In addition, our university will spare no efforts to build the Laser Center into an open service and innovation platform with prominent and profound characteristics of university-industry collaboration.